Elexomantrs



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEErcE.

HORACE A. NATHAN, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FLEXOMAN US.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 18,857, dated December 15, 1857.

To all whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, HORACE A. NATHAN, of the city of Philadelphia, Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful machine for impartingflexibility to the muscles required in performing on the piano, to beknown as Nathans Flexomanus and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to theannexed drawing, making a part of the specification, in which- Figure lis a front view and Fig. 2 a side view of the said machine.

A represents the frame of the machine; B B B B B, five successivecranks; E E', pulleys on either ends of shaft B B which is revolved bymeans of cords F F around the grooved pulleys D D and E E', C1 C2 C3 C4C5, rings attached to crank B B B B B by means of a wire; G G, thumbscrews for attaching the machine to the piano; H I, the keys of thepiano; J, frame of the piano; K K, handles for turning pulleys D D; L, abar for supporting t-he wrist, also for keeping the machine at a properdistance apart, and serves as a shaft for pulleys D D to revolve on; M,a bar for the purpose of keeping the frame at a proper distance apart; NN, two projecting pieces for attaching the machine to the piano.

The operation of my new machine is as follows: The performer afterhaving attached the machine to the piano, rests the wrist of his lefthand on the bar (L) and places his ngers in the five rings (representedby C1 C2 C3 C4 C5) and then by turning the handle with his right hand hecauses the cranks (B B B B B) to revolve, which will necessarily lowerthe fingers in rings (C1 C2 C3) and raise those in rings (C4 C5). Afterhaving practiced this for some time, remove the left hand and performthe same operation with the right hand in the rings, turning the handlewith the left hand.

Tithout this machine the raising of the first and third (keeping downthe thumb, second and fourth) and afterward raising the thumb, secondand fourth (keeping down the two others) would be found eX- ceedinglydifficult and if attempted rapidly would be an impossibility by anyother than a first class pianist. Therefore we find that the saidinvention is for causing a flexibility of the fingers for the purpose ofperforming on the piano which if practiced otherwise would requireunremitted time to become as perfect as we could with this invention inthe shortest possible time. I may add that the trill may be performed byusing only two of the rings, namely either C1 and C4, or C2 and C5.

Having thus described my new machine what I desire to claim as myinvention and secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of a series of cranks B B B B B and rings Cl C2 C3 C4 C5arranged and operating substantially as above described together withthe bar for supporting the wrist.

HORACE A. NATHAN. Witnesses:

C. BRAZER, MosEs NATHAN, I. M. NATHAN,

